5 Montreal stories you must read this week: August 18

From a flag store displaying the Confederate flag to the passing of Daisy Sweeney — a pillar of Montreal’s Black community, here are the top five stories Global News covered in Montreal this week:

2:05 Parc Avenue flag shop’s display of the Confederate flag angers passersby

Flag flap

“I was shocked because it’s a hate symbol. One hundred per cent.”

The Confederate flag waves along dozens of others outside the Agora flag shop on Parc Avenue, but for Desirée Pollak-Garcia it’s not like any other flag.

READ THE STORY: Montreal flag shop displays Confederate flag, angers passersby

2:32 Daisy Sweeney passes away

Montreal’s lady of jazz

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“She brought those children in Saint-Henri into a world that would not really be welcoming to them.”

It often takes great talent in order to succeed. But sometimes that talent needs an effective coach. Daisy Sweeney was that teacher for Montreal jazz pianist, composer and arranger Oliver Jones.

READ THE STORY: Daisy Sweeney, piano teacher to jazz greats, dies at 97

2:05 Number of asylum seekers skyrockets

Asylum seeker boom

The RCMP intercepted close to 3,000 people jumping the Canada-U.S. border into Quebec in July – a 284 per cent increase compared to one month earlier, and a more than 1,000 per cent increase than in January, according to Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

READ THE STORY: Number of asylum-seekers crossing into Canada skyrockets in July

1:52 Montreal policeman plays public piano

Piano playing cop

“I thought this was a great way of showing people, citizens, that you know, they’re humans too and they have interests and talents like everybody else.”

When Montreal police sergeant Dominic Godbout saw a public piano at Place Marcelle-Ferron in Outremont, he said he just had to stop and play a song.

READ THE STORY: Montreal police sergeant shows off musical talent on public piano

2:41 Willow Place Inn ghost report

Willow Inn mystery persists

“Well I found out that there are quite a few things that are unexplainable.”

A team of paranormal investigators has scoured Hudson’s Willow Inn from top to bottom in search of ghostly phenomena. And what the team discovered, only adds to the mystery.

READ THE STORY: Montreal man goes on vacation, friends ‘redecorate’ home for his return